After proposing a bigger expansion to the Student Recreation Center last semester, administrators at the Rec Center have modified their plan.
Instead of a fee that would ask students to pay an extra $34 in yearly tuition, the new plan will call for continuing the current $25 semester Rec Center fee to help pay for a new 32,000-square-foot weight room and leisure pool if students approve a referendum in October, said Juliette Moore, director of campus recreation.
Moore said an annual increase of more than 6,900 students using the Rec Center since 1994 has caused headaches for students who complain about lines to get into the weight room and the need for more workout machines.
Last semester, the Rec Center proposed a fee for future students attending the UA from 2009 through 2011 to dish out an extra $34 in yearly tuition to fund a $35 million expansion project. The increase would have raised the Rec Center's student yearly fee from $50 to $84 a year.
In May, Moore said she had talks with the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, vice president of Campus Life Saundra Taylor and President Peter Likins, and determined students shouldn't have to be burdened by inflated fees, making the $25 semester fee reasonable for both students and campus administration.
As of now, students will continue paying a $25 semester fee for admittance into the Rec Center through 2010. That fee will disappear in 2011 unless students vote in October to continue paying the fee to pay off the bonds for the proposed expansion.
"It's up to the students," Moore said. "We're not asking for any additional money."
With the hopes of continuing the current $25 semester fee, Moore said the Rec Center must first get the approval of a space committee in mid-September to determine whether the proposed expansion can happen, and then get the permission from the Arizona Board of Regents in October to allow for a student referendum.
Given money pressures on students, Taylor said the cost of education is tough, and adding more fees for students doesn't seem like a fair thing to do at this point. She said sticking to the current fee is "reasonable."
"I think it's a compromise," Taylor said. "(But) we won't be able to do what we set out to do. Students see this as a decent alternative."
If passed, the expansion wouldn't be completed until 2009, with building and planning taking three years.
Paul Thorn, the Graduate Professional Student Council vice president for external affairs, said he's heard from graduate students, who comprise about 21 percent of the UA, who said they wouldn't have a problem paying a fee they already pay for.
Thorn said he's talked with graduate students who felt uncomfortable paying the larger sum fee that was proposed in the spring, adding that students should go to the Rec Center at different times if they encounter a long waiting time.
He also said a lot of graduate students would speak out against fees they know they wouldn't have any direct use from because of graduate students' nature to be more academic and isolated from the rest of campus.
Moore said the fee would help pay off the bond money owed to the building for the next 30 years.
"It's our hope to get everything passed ... so we can move ahead to the design and architecture phase," Moore said. "Once we get the OK from all parties involved, we'll get new bonds to pay for the expansion. We still have a lot of hoops to go through, but it's my hope students will pass this."
Other proposed amenities for the addition include a new sand volleyball court, basketball court, climbing wall and grilling area. Moore said administrative offices would be moved downstairs.
If there is still money left over from the project, Moore said there would also be plans to renovate the current weight room into a usable space.
"The Rec Center, as it stands now, doesn't serve the demand of students at this time." Taylor said. "And a proposal to expand for the future would help ease these problems."